17 minute read
Get Outta Town
GET OUTTA TOWN: Check out the ruins of mountainous military facility Camp Hale » Site was used to train Americans in 1940s, Tibetans in ’60s
It’s December 1939 and Finland is under attack. Joseph Stalin has sent 400,000 troops of the world’s largest infantry force, the Red Army, into the Scandinavian nation. Unchallenged by a country lacking the proper ammunition, a thousand Soviet tanks roll through across the snowy land, seizing large tracts of the Karelian Isthmus.
Suddenly, white-clad figures swoop in like ghosts between the trees. They approach the tanks, close enough to pry bits and pieces off in some cases, and toss Molotov cocktails and bombs into unguarded exhaust ports – a design flaw of the tanks uncovered by Finnish engineers. The tanks explode from the inside slowing the advance of Stalin’s army and giving Finland a chance to win the Winter War by mid-March 1940, losing fewer than 50,000 soldiers compared to the Soviet Union’s 200,000 deaths. The Finnish military’s secret, primitive weapon? Skis. Half a world away, Charles Dole, president of the then-new National Ski Patrol, used the success of the Finnish in fighting away their invaders to petition the United States Army to develop a similar ski-mounted fighting force. And it worked. In October 1941, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Marshall ordered the formation of a mountain-based battalion. Just in time, too – on Dec. 7 of that year, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, bringing the U.S. into World War II.
A valley between Leadville and Vail was chosen as the site for Camp Hale, the new home of what became the 10th Light Division (Alpine) and then the 10th Mountain Division. Construction of a barracks, hospitals for both people and animals, ammunition bunkers and recreation facilities began in 1942. Soldiers trained there and at the nearby Cooper Hill with skis, winter camouflage and vehicles designed to for use on snow. The base was also used to hold German prisoners of war. In 1945, troops from the camp were finally deployed to Italy, and the division was disbanded at the war’s end. Some of the soldiers returned to Colorado and helped establish ski resorts in places like Vail and Aspen.
Meanwhile, during the early ’60s, the CIA took over the camp for clandestine purposes. To keep people away, the agency circulated stories that atomic tests were being conducted. But really, it had become a training cite for Tibetan guerrillas.
Nicknamed “Dhumra,” or “The Garden,” by the Tibetans, the site was selected for its resemblance to the Himalayan Mountains. By the time the camp was dismantled and given to the Forest Service in 1965, nearly 260 Tibetans were trained at the site to resist the Chinese and keep Tibet autonomous. That effort, evidently, didn’t go as well as it could have.
Today you can visit the ruins of Camp Hale about 17 miles north of Leadville on U.S. Highway 24. The skeletons of several barracks and bunkers remain. If you see something that looks like something that might blow up, though, don’t pick it up, poke at it, or throw rocks at it. The Army Corps of Engineers began an effort in 2003 to clear the area of unexploded ordnance, but you never know. — Nick Gonzales Courtesy of brent flanders/Flickr » » Now ruins north of Leadville, Camp Hale was once used to train the 10th Mountain Diviision during World War II and, covertly, Tibetan guerrillas in the 1960s.
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» Get ready to roll in this year’s Rockin’ Snowdown
» » Teams battle it out during the 2019 Snowdown Quaffing Tournament on Saturday at 11th Street Station. One team member slides a mug of beer down the table to another teammate who has to catch it as it slides off the table and then has to drink it.
12 | Thursday, January 30, 2020 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• By Nick Gonzales HERALD STAFF WRITER
nowdown is here, and if you’re like us, you’re ready – you’re ready for this. You’ve been
hanging on the edge of your seat. Down to Main Avenue you’re going to zip, as the light parade rolls down the street. Durango’s original “cabin fever reliever” is back for the 42nd year and “live in costume.” This year’s theme is “A Rockin’ Snowdown,” so break out whatever duds you’ve got that celebrate the 70-year-old musical genre. S
SNOWDOWN SURVIVAL GUIDE
Jerry McBride/BCI Media file
But take it easy, too. Don’t let the sound of downtown revelry drive you crazy.
“We see a lot of one-event wonders out there who go and put it all on the line for that one event,” says Snowdown spokesman Dave Imming. “And then they don’t experience any of the other 161 events.”
Anyone who says Snowdown isn’t a drinking festival is being at least a bit disingenuous. Even when they aren’t specifically based around alcohol consumption, several dozen events take are centered around Durango’s bar scene.
Then again, Snowdown has certainly mellowed out over the past four decades – past events may have had revelers jumping into pools of beer in various states of undress. These days it includes a plethora of family friendly events denoted by the “Healthy Event Seal of Approval” in the official schedule. There are also events that subvert the drinking theme, such as this year’s Mock and Roll event. The non-alcoholic pub crawl sponsored by Young People in Recovery begins at the Strater Hotel at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and takes participants to various venues featuring mocktail menus.
Even this year’s Snowdown beer was crafted with relative sobriety in mind.
Ska Brewing Co.’s Tutti Frutti Oh Rudie is a fruited India pale ale based in SKA’s Rudie Session IPA. The difference between the ale and its forebear, the “tutti frutti,” comes from hints of mango and passionfruit. The beer also has a notably low ABV for an IPA at 5%. “It’s a really nice IPA and at 5%, it’s not too over powering, especially for Snowdown, when you tend to drink more than one beer in a row,” said Kristen Mu raro, Ska’s Sales and Marketing Director.
The beer can be found at Ska’s Headquarters in Bodo Park as well as liquor stores around Durango. The company plans to run out of the brew by or during Snowdown – if you see it anywhere, know that there is a finite supply.
I Want It All
According to Imming, the most essential tool for maximizing your Snowdown experience is the official schedule.
“Get it, mark it with the things you want to do, keep it in your pocket,” he advises.
Muraro agrees. “There’s so many things going on, you can’t possibly remember them all,” she says.
She also advises having a warm cos tume change on hand.
“I remember some years when, at the parade, it was like 10 degrees, freezing.”
Speaking of costumes, if you slacked off and didn’t prepare one in advance, there are a number of places around town to find something span dex or animal print to rock. A good starting place would be Animas Trad ing Co., which always stocks Snowdown costume accessories.
Wondering which events to check out? Out of all the events, there are four that stand out every year – the Four Horsemen of the Snowdownca lypse if you will: The Follies, Fashion Do’s and Don’ts, the Outlaw Josie Pete Golf Tournament, and the Light Pa rade.
By the time you read this, if you don’t have tickets to the Follies or Fashion Do’s and Don’ts, it’s probably a lost cause. Both began selling long before Snowdown started and at this point you’ll need to sell your soul to get into the Follies. If you’re dead set on seeing them, you can catch a live vid eocast of it at the Animas City Theatre. The golf tournament begins at noon on Saturday and has holes all over town. Entry is $75 for a team of four people, and you supply your own put ters and golf balls. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of actually competing, you can spectate from any of the holes.
There’s only so much that can be said about the light parade on Friday at dusk (think 6 p.m.-ish). It’s easily the largest parade in Durango, if not the best-attended single event in Durango, and the only parade held at night. Du rangoans pour their creativity into the floats and it is truly spectacular.
If you’re planning on going (and if you’re not, what’s wrong with you?), don’t drive if at all possible. City buses, including the Trolley, will be free all day long on every route. The last ones leave the Transit Center at 8:30 p.m. From 3 to 9 p.m., there will be two special shuttles ferrying people to and from the Transit Center, the La Plata County Fairgrounds, and Three Springs and Mercy Hospital. The Fair grounds shuttle will leave once every 20 minutes; the Three Springs one, once every 45 minutes.
(Keep in mind that in addition to al leviating the parking nightmare that is Downtown Durango, these buses can deliver weary day-drinkers home, as suming you live in town and don’t plan to stay out very late. If you’re going to rock a low-level buzz all day Friday, please take the bus.)
Outside of the big four, there are a number of perennial favorite events returning this year.
Thursday features the Hot Wing Eating Contest at Animas City Theatre, the Rockin’ Rollin’ Oyster Slurpin’ Contest at Highway 3 Road house, the Rocky Mountain Oyster Eat
Jerry McBride/BCI Media file » » Dillon Lindborg dips his beard in beer then squeezes it into another bowl as part of the absorbancy contest at the 2019 Snowdown Beard Growing Competition at Carver Brewing Co.
Jerry McBride/BCI Media file » » 02-01-2019- Durango- Samba Galactica in the Snowdown Light Parade on Friday on Main Avenue.
Jerry McBride/BCI Media file » » Evan Vitale, of Team Caped Crusaders, plays a hole at the Palace Restaurant during the 2019 Snowdown Outlaw Josie Pete’s Golf Tournament.
Off at Derailed Pour House, and the results of the Beard Growing Compe tition at Carver Brewing Co. (which in addition to length, often features a Nickelodeon Double Dare-style absor bency challenge – people have been known to drink the beer squeezed out of beards, says Carver’s Head Brewer Patrick Jose).
Friday has the Service Industry Scramble (which is a fantastic specta tor sport even if you don’t compete) in the alley behind Steamworks Brewing Co. and the Bed Races between 7th and 8th streets on Main Avenue.
Saturday brings the Chili Cook-Off and Bloody Mary Contest at the Fair grounds, the Canine fashion Show at McDonald’s, Outhouse Stuffing at Gaz pacho Restaurant, and the Quaffing Competition at 11th Street Station.
When it comes to the events added this year, Imming recommends Rock Stop and Roll on Wednesday at Duran go High School. The DHS Orchestra will play a rockin’ concert followed by a dinner and children’s costume contest. We’re also interested in the Drink Up Relay on Friday at Fired Up Pizzeria. Break on Through (to the Other Side)
If, despite our warnings, you wake up with that telltale headache, nausea, and light sensitivity after hitting Du rango a bit too hard, Jose has a whole regimen for “slaying the hangover beast,” but wants everyone to remem ber he’s a brewer, not a doctor: “Take a variety of vitamins alongside 400 to 600 mg of ibuprofen. Chase that with a liter of alkaline water, followed by a de luxe bloody and breakfast at Carver’s. You can always add a touch of edibles or flower to this prescription for a smooth exit from the fog.”
(We’d like to add that there are also dozens of other breakfast spots to help ease your hangover woes. They’ll all, including Craver’s be full of people, but they’re there.)
Muraro adds that staying hydrated and possibly sleeping between events may help you last until the end of the weekend.
When it comes to surviving the festival in a literal sense, there are a number of things you can do to make sure this Snowdown isn’t your last. Members of Durango’s medical com munity wouldn’t speak to us on the record – they’re reluctant to publicly associate themselves with events in which participants have a penchant for overindulging – but they sent over some tips.
They want to encourage a “sober-cu rious” festival and encourage people to tryout the aforementioned mocktails, especially if they’re in recovery. The medical community also wanted us to remind you that binge drinking – having 5 drinks for men or 4 drinks for women within a two-hour period – can result in alcohol poisoning, inju ries, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, heart disease, cancer, brain damage and death. Young People In Recovery and the Animas Alano Club are resources for people who need support in preventing high-risk be haviors. Alcohol can also interact with medications such as antidepressants, anti-anxiety pills and mood-stabilizers. If you or someone else is in crisis, the 24/7 Axis Care Connect Line is (970) 247-5245.
San Juan Basin Public Health also expressed that it’d be a good idea to get your flu shots at least a couple weeks before Snowdown. Hopefully you did that.
La Plata County Search and Rescue hosts a pancake breakfast and silent auction from 7 a.m. to noon on Sunday. Outside of sleeping in, we can’t think of a better way to end Snowdown – especially if you’re a sports fan and heading straight into a Super Bowl watch party. Nick Gonzales/DGO » » This year’s Snowdown beer from Ska Brewing Co. is Tutti Frutti Oh Rudie. It’s a low-ABV fruited IPA.
Jerry McBride/BCI Media file » » Josh Hickens feel the pain of the extra hot wings during the 2018 Snowdown “Hot Wing Eating Contest” at Cuckoo’s Chicken House.
Lazercat Live Rosin Lava will free your mind
We need to discuss something serious, you guys: cartoons. Have you ever gotten stoned and watched “Over the Garden Wall,” that cartoon miniseries that ran on Cartoon Network in 2014? Yes, that is a very specific question, but I feel it’s important nonetheless.
Why do I fee it’s important, you ask? Well, because I got stoned and watched “Over the Garden While” with the help of some Lazercat Live Rosin Lava — the Turbo Amethyst strain, to be exact — and in that moment I knew I was living my best life. I just want you guys to do the same.
If you aren’t into cartoons, well, go away cause this review ain’t for you. (Kidding. I’m kidding. You can stay.) If you are into cartoons, you should go get yourself some Lazercat Turbo Amethyst lava, cause it will make all your cartoon experiences that much better.
I picked up a gram of this fancy extract from Prohibition Herb, which is currently carrying four different strains of the stuff. I chose the indica-dominant Turbo Amethyst for the name, obviously, and it was a pretty badass choice, if I do say so myself. I popped the lid off the tiny jar and was impressed with how crystal clear the pale yellow concentrate was. It sat in the bottom of the jar like a thin layer of yellow jelly, and I was almost too mesmerized by its looks to ruin it with the dab pen. ALMOST. Once I stuck my nose in it and caught a whiff of the pungent pine forest within I couldn’t help myself: I had to try it out. One hit in and I knew this was something special. And by that I mean I choked like I had never choked before, to the point where my housemate came to make sure I was still alive. Once they confirmed that it was just the weed and not some weird bout of undiagnosed asthma, they proceeded to laugh at me — to my face — for entirely too long. I didn’t care though. This stuff tasted great, despite making my throat seize up and go numb with one hit. I continued to indulge until I could feel that old familiar tingling run down my arms and into my head. And, once I was blissfully high, I flipped on “Over the Garden Wall” and let that weird ass cartoon take me away.
I don’t know if y’all are familiar with that miniseries, but it’s basically the strangest, best thing I’ve ever watched. It was even better while stoned on Turbo Amethyst, though, because that indica-driven high convinced me that I totally understood the journey of these two lost kids who do a bunch of weird crap and carry around a frog. I was one with the cartoon.
After spending a bunch of time in nirvana with Wirt and Greg, my cartoon heroes, I realized was also freaking starving. Luckily I had prepared for this epic journey with a ton of chocolate-covered gummy bears, which I’d stashed next to my bed prior to smoking. It was a good call on my part, because I was entirely too couchlocked and mesmerized to get up for snacks. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’d convinced myself at that point that I was part of the cartoon and was talking to a girl-turnedbluebird alongside my animated pals.
I must have passed out at some point because I woke up a few hours later in a puddle of drool with an empty bag beside me, but I didn’t care. I felt refreshed from my weird cartoon journey. No ragrets?
So, if you haven’t watched “Over the Garden Wall,” I highly recommend you remedy that issue. And if you haven’t smoked any of the Lazercat rosin, I recommend you do so while watching said miniseries. Let your mind be free, your dab pen be full of fancy rosin, and let your belly be full of gummy bears. It’s the only way to live. — DGO Pufnstuf And the hunger pangs will follow
Where to find Lazercat Live Rosin Lava: Prohibition Herb, 1185 Camino del Rio, prohibitionherb. com Details
[ snowdown 2020]
From Page 10
Rotary Clubs & Alpine Bank - 1099 Main
Rolling of giant red exercise balls down from 2nd Avenue and 10th Street to win $5000, $2000, and $1000 while supporting local non-profits.
6 PM (DUSK) SNOWDOWN LIGHT PARADE
Main from College Dr to 12th St
Hosted by Purgatory Resort, Durango’s only nighttime parade, where Rock and Roll light up floats create a dazzling delight. Floats compete for trophies in 10 divisions with special emphasis on lights and theme.
7 PM 2ND ANNUAL SNOWDOWN COSTUME BALL, POST PARADE AWARDS & BALLOON DROP!
Durango Balloon Company - 835 Main (Main Mall)
Back for its 2nd year, the Durango Balloon SNOWDOWN Costume Ball, Balloon Drop, and Post Parade Awards Ceremony is not to be missed!
7:30 PM SKI SCHOOL VS. SKI PATROL SNOWDOWN SOFTBALL GAME
FLC Softball Complex - Fort Lewis College
A SNOWDOWN tradition! Purgatory Mountain Patrol and the Ski/Snowboard School, continue their 42nd year rivalry in Ski Softball- Softball played on skis and boards!
7:30 PM SNOWDOWN FOLLIES
Live at both: Henry Strater Theater - 699 Main and Durango Arts Center Theater - 802 E 2nd
The SNOWDOWN Follies return for the 37th year of entertainment with your favorite showbiz personalities and local commentary! This notorious irreverent review performs in two different theaters simultaneously, Really! Cash bar!
7:30 PM SNOWDOWN FOLLIES VIDEOCAST
Animas City Theatre - 128 E College Dr
If you missed getting tickets for the Snowdown Follies, watch the show on the big screen at the Animas City Theatre! It’s almost as good as the real thing-at half the price! Must be 21+.
9 PM ROCK AND ROLL LIVE MUSIC TRIVIA
Derailed Pour House - 725 Main
Play along with the rock and roll music of AOR live from Albuquerque! Guess the songs they rock out for you and win cash $$ prizes and a smarty pants music trophy!! Must be 21+.
9:30 PM NO PANTS SNOWPANTS DANCE
Starlight Lounge - 937 Main
It’s time we stop! Hey, what’s that sound… Everybody look! What’s going down? Pants!!! Wear anything but pants dance...SNOWDOWN theme! Must be 21+.
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